Arlington to McLean

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the Arlington boys side, kids seem to leave Arlington rather than come down to Red. Also only ~1 boy a year goes from red to academy. Academy coaches don’t seem to come to either red games or practices but are communicating with red team coaches directly. Its basically a separate club

Does anyone know why they do this? We have seen plenty of movement up and down on pre-ECNL age groups, but it seems once you get to academy/ECNL, it takes an act of god to change the original roster.

You know the coaches realize it too, when you see their frustration at the same kid for the same mistakes—or worse, the same attitude problem—for two or more years in a row. Meanwhile you’ve got kids on the second team who are obvious shoe-ins for the subpar top team players, so why would a coach who is tearing their hair out continue to do so?

Is it Arlington policy to keep the teams together after a certain age for continuity? Are the subpar top team player parents more difficult than the better second team player parents? It’s so…baffling.

No idea. It makes you wonder what power some parents have. My kid is high school age and it’s crazy. Some clearly don’t belong there (ecnl team) anymore.

Has anyone ever asked coaches or club staff directly? Like generally asking why every player on my kids’ team has been moved up year after year, even the ones that kinda suck (presumably without naming names.)

money does the talking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re seriously considering the move from MYS to Arlington. The coaching departures and drama with ECNL/Union at MYS notwithstanding, the boy MYS teams have not been competitive and coaching has been sub-par.

Our only concern is commuting to Long Bridge. Agree with others that more families from northern Fairfax County would consider Arlington more seriously if they practiced at more convenient locations given current traffic patterns during rush hour. We’ll probably still do it, but not looking forward to sitting on 66 for 40 minutes.

Still, if the coaching is as good as we have heard and if their teams actually win games (our MYS team has never beaten an Arlington team), it will be worth it. This puts aside being able to avoid the FVU drama, which is another plus.

We're in McLean and drive to Long Bridge for practices and the drive isn't that bad. 20 minutes... sometimes a little more or little less. It also helps to get in a carpool so you're only on the hook to drive 1-2x/ wk

[Anonymous]

It's so fkkkkd up we are passing each other in opposite directions on I-66 when the clubs could have taken the kids that live in the actual county. So now the Mclean kid is going to Arlington and my kid is going to Mclean.

Christ. We have fields in our backyard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: It’s important to get into a club with an ECNL team at a young age. My DC’s ECNL team has at least half of the team made up of the same kids from their u10 team, which was the top team at the time. They just moved up together as a block.

I have heard this is the same at most clubs these days, with only a few additions/replacements each year.

Think about that in a region this big...it's civil service protection which is crazy once they get past age 14.

So basically from ages 8-9 you have the same kids being passed forward even though we know development is not linear. It is all over the map. Some kids are stars at 8 and suck at 15. Some are big at 10 and tiny at 15. There are lots of ups and downs and backward movements.

I like the way our team developed (a few ended up on the national team)--there was the A team and the B team and it really was in and out, in and out over time. You weren't exiled never to be bumped up and your place was never guaranteed on the top team. You were always fighting for that spot and it was understood in the younger years--sometimes you needed to be down to develop if you were growing later, etc.--but it wasn't a closed door.

Not every club is so static. Some actually are upset because it's the opposite--clean slate every year with no opportunity to build. But when they have had U8, U9, U10, U11, U12, U13---you have already had 5 full years with the same kids--once you get into the U14+--it needs to be the best player and not about seniority or 'time in service' or who you know.

Not 100% accurate -we didn't chase the ASA train at a young age. In fact, our 2011 girl played ADP all the way up until last year and she was no longer eligible. She tried out for ASA travel last year and made the bottom team (gold). We were told they only way to get in would be to make the bottom team. Fast forward and our girl's gold team had better record than team above them (silver), placing them in a higher division. ASA does what always does and is desolving a team this year and gold team was told we should begin looking at other programs; however, we may be offered a spot on a team by a certain date. It's my understanding that teams above them are not held to the same chopping block and if you got in by U11 you are guaranteed a spot. Doesn't seem right that existing players don't have to fight for a spot particularly if they are not as skilled as those who entered later. We tried to remain loyal to our values to encourage playing multiple sports while they're young.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the Arlington boys side, kids seem to leave Arlington rather than come down to Red. Also only ~1 boy a year goes from red to academy. Academy coaches don’t seem to come to either red games or practices but are communicating with red team coaches directly. Its basically a separate club

Does anyone know why they do this? We have seen plenty of movement up and down on pre-ECNL age groups, but it seems once you get to academy/ECNL, it takes an act of god to change the original roster.

You know the coaches realize it too, when you see their frustration at the same kid for the same mistakes—or worse, the same attitude problem—for two or more years in a row. Meanwhile you’ve got kids on the second team who are obvious shoe-ins for the subpar top team players, so why would a coach who is tearing their hair out continue to do so?

Is it Arlington policy to keep the teams together after a certain age for continuity? Are the subpar top team player parents more difficult than the better second team player parents? It’s so…baffling.

No idea. It makes you wonder what power some parents have. My kid is high school age and it’s crazy. Some clearly don’t belong there (ecnl team) anymore.

Has anyone ever asked coaches or club staff directly? Like generally asking why every player on my kids’ team has been moved up year after year, even the ones that kinda suck (presumably without naming names.)

money does the talking

People keep saying this, but unless there are parents out there who are literally bribing their spot every year, it doesn’t quite make sense to just “follow the $.” Ok so maybe moving a team up as a block means guaranteed annual revenue…but what about the kids on the second team who should be moved up but don’t get that chance cause of the aversion to moving even the poorly skilled top team kids down? Those second team kids will just shop around at other clubs and then you’ll lose THEIR business.

If you have a bunch of kids on your top team that just suck, it seems like there’s always someone better to take that spot (at the big clubs anyway) whether internally or externally. If you really see the kids just as dollar signs, then why would you care? It’s not like that really good second team kid has to pay less than the sucky top team kid they are replacing.

[Anonymous]

Are there any McLean teams that are expecting a lot of kids to join other clubs, like Arlington, for the next season?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there any McLean teams that are expecting a lot of kids to join other clubs, like Arlington, for the next season?

This happens every year on the boys side at all levels, but particularly around the u12-u14 years. Arlington is a better club on the boys side.

This was less of an issue for McLean on the girls side, but given the loss of ECNL, I’d expect more movement on the girls side than in prior years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there any McLean teams that are expecting a lot of kids to join other clubs, like Arlington, for the next season?

The top two teams for McLean U9 (boys) were/are strong this year. I am assuming that’s why there was several Arlington and SYC boys at tryouts.

[Anonymous]

Not sure about that. Arlington 2015B Red beat MYS 2015B Green this spring. To be fair, they also beat most of the other 2015B teams around NoVa this spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure about that. Arlington 2015B Red beat MYS 2015B Green this spring. To be fair, they also beat most of the other 2015B teams around NoVa this spring.

Dag. You are talking about 9 year olds??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure about that. Arlington 2015B Red beat MYS 2015B Green this spring. To be fair, they also beat most of the other 2015B teams around NoVa this spring.

I would like to see this game at a tournament, from what ive seen mclean doesnt seem to care about NCSL games, just based off their performances in tournaments which are significantly more impressive than arlingtons. We played them last season and they had 2 or 3 B team players guesting on the green team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure about that. Arlington 2015B Red beat MYS 2015B Green this spring. To be fair, they also beat most of the other 2015B teams around NoVa this spring.

Both McLean teams won in the fall. I know the second team tied this spring, but lost to Arlington at the Jeff Cup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the Arlington boys side, kids seem to leave Arlington rather than come down to Red. Also only ~1 boy a year goes from red to academy. Academy coaches don’t seem to come to either red games or practices but are communicating with red team coaches directly. Its basically a separate club

Does anyone know why they do this? We have seen plenty of movement up and down on pre-ECNL age groups, but it seems once you get to academy/ECNL, it takes an act of god to change the original roster.

You know the coaches realize it too, when you see their frustration at the same kid for the same mistakes—or worse, the same attitude problem—for two or more years in a row. Meanwhile you’ve got kids on the second team who are obvious shoe-ins for the subpar top team players, so why would a coach who is tearing their hair out continue to do so?

Is it Arlington policy to keep the teams together after a certain age for continuity? Are the subpar top team player parents more difficult than the better second team player parents? It’s so…baffling.

No idea. It makes you wonder what power some parents have. My kid is high school age and it’s crazy. Some clearly don’t belong there (ecnl team) anymore.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Arlington soccer it’s about who you know if you know the coaches they will move your daughter to higher team and if the coach doesn’t like your daughter or doesn’t like you he will keep your daughter in the some team or probably they will cut her team off like they did this year for Gold and sliver. you are definitely make the right decision move to mclean

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arlington soccer it’s about who you know if you know the coaches they will move your daughter to higher team and if the coach doesn’t like your daughter or doesn’t like you he will keep your daughter in the some team or probably they will cut her team off like they did this year for Gold and sliver. you are definitely make the right decision move to mclean

I heard about Arlington cutting gold 2011 team but most of them were actually offered the spots on the higher team. Maybe the reason your kid got cut isn't because the coach doesn't like you. Just saying.